Word on Byrd: NCAA forces USC WR to sit four games

USC freshman wide receiver Damiere Byrd has received a four-game suspension from the NCAA and must repay benefits as a condition of becoming eligible to compete again, it was announced today by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff.

“While we respect the process, we are very disappointed for Damiere,” said Athletics Director Eric Hyman. “Damiere is an outstanding individual and has been upfront with us as to what occurred during the recruiting process. He had no idea that being part of the Student Athlete Mentoring (SAM) Foundation would in any way affect his college eligibility. We continue to support him and will carefully consider appealing this decision.”

The SAM Foundation is a Delaware-based organization that provides underprivileged, inner-city athletes with help in getting scholarship offers and meeting academic eligibility requirements.

Byrd sat out the season opener against East Carolina, and will also be sidelined for the Georgia, Navy and Vanderbilt games this season.

Comments

So let me get this straight, Byrd is suspended for 4 games for being part of a non-profit mentoring that other players at other schools were a part of and he has to repay the funds too? How about the other players and more players that were part of similar organizations? Moreover, how about players like Jacori Harris who took money directly from a booster? And he gets one game? Besides that, the whole Cam Newton debacle. In the NCAA rules it states that it doesn’t matter if he knew his father asked for money, his father was acting as his guardian on his behalf which is the same thing! I’m just a concerned lover of college football and don’t want the NCAA to screw it up for everyone! If you cheat and go to this school you won’t get punished, but if you go to this other school you might get punished for something that no one knew was against the rules to begin with!